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BIO Comments on the National Quality Forum Health and Wellbeing 2015-2017 Report

BIO appreciates the opportunity to comment on the National Quality Forum (NQF) Health and Wellbeing 2015-2017 report.

TO: NQF Health and Wellbeing 2015-2017 Standing Committee

FROM: Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO)

DATE: November 22, 2016

BIO appreciates the opportunity to comment on the National Quality Forum (NQF) Health and Wellbeing 2015-2017 report (“the report”).

The Biotechnology Innovation Organization (BIO) is the world's largest trade association representing biotechnology companies, academic institutions, state biotechnology centers and related organizations across the United States and in more than 30 other nations. BIO members are involved in the research and development of innovative healthcare, agricultural, industrial and environmental biotechnology products. Our membership includes more than 30 companies focused on the research and development of new vaccines to fulfill unmet medical needs and protect Americans throughout the lifespan from a variety of infectious diseases.

Vaccines protect us from a variety of common diseases that can be serious and even deadly. Every year, more than 50,000 adults die from vaccine-preventable diseases and thousands more suffer serious health problems. Despite the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices’ (ACIP) evidence-based recommendations, vaccines have been consistently underutilized in the adult population and lag behind the Healthy People 2020 goals for the most commonly recommended vaccines (influenza, pneumococcal, Tdap (tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis), hepatitis B, herpes zoster, and human papilloma virus (HPV)). Disparities are even greater for at-risk populations, including seniors and people with chronic illnesses.

BIO has closely followed NQF’s work to identify gaps and prioritize measurement needs in the adult vaccines space. In its August 2014 report, “Priority Setting for Healthcare Performance Measurement: Addressing Performance Measures Gaps for Adult Immunizations,” NQF provided a comprehensive assessment of the areas of performance measurement used in federal programs for adult vaccines where substantial measure gaps exist outside of influenza and pneumococcal disease vaccination. The report further highlighted ten age-specific and composite measure gap priorities that should be addressed.

The report included a conceptual framework to prioritize measurement needs along with recommended short-term and long-term priorities. It also provided recommendations for addressing issues of measurement accuracy and efficiency, and guidance for measuring what is most meaningful in adult vaccines. The overarching goal of this report was to provide a pathway for adult vaccine performance measurement development that would ultimately improve immunization rates and outcomes across adult populations...